Housepets: Curse of the Werenut
by ViolentFluffernutter
Summary: When Pete decides to take his and Dragon's game in a new direction, Peanut is left with a curse that might undo everything the Dragon has fought for. Rated "T" just to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

It was a dark night, and the silver moon peeked through the clouds, providing only the meanest amount of light for Peanut and Grape Sandwich as they made their way home from the movie theater. They had begged for their parents to allow them to attend the midnight screening of Pridelands 3, and though Peanut had not been disappointed, Grape was in a sour mood.

"Oh, come on, Grape!" the dog said, shaking his cat friend by the shoulders. "This was the best one yet!"

"No way," Grape retorted, shrugging her friend away. "They totally ruined it! The producers turned the whole thing into nothing but a great big cash grab."

"That's not true!" Peanut insisted. "I loved how they made the Hyena King's mask look so much like it did in the book!"

As the two friends bickered, they were entirely unaware that they were being watched from high above. Hovering in the air, hidden amongst the dark clouds, was the gryphon, Pete. To his right was his friend and nemesis, Dragon.

"Why did you bring me all the way out here at this time of night?" Dragon asked obviously irritated.

"Oh come on," Pete snorted. "We both know you don't need to sleep any more than I do. Besides, I wanted you to be here for the turning point in our game!"

"Ha!" Dragon laughed derisively. "I'd love to see what you have in mind. You're so far behind me at this point, you'll have to cheat to catch up with me!" She eyed the gryphon suspiciously, "You haven't decided to cheat, have you?"

"Cheat is such a STRONG word," Pete shrugged, rolling his eyes. "I prefer to say that I invented a new set of rules without your permission."

"Pete, what have you done?" Dragon demanded.

"Behold!" Pete declared, pointing towards the cat and dog far below them. "Behold, and see the end of your reign of terror!" With a wicked cackle, he reached out and plucked a strand of silver moonlight from the sky.

"Pete, you can't possibly mean…" Dragon stammered, eyes wide with horror. "You can't!"

"All I'm doing, my dear Lady Lizard, is awakening a long dormant power within your poochy little lover!"

"It's forbidden!" Dragon roared, stretching to her full length to surround Pete, but the gryphon merely dropped a few feet, and with a triumphant laugh, he cast the beam of moonlight at Peanut, who was still blissfully unaware of what was going on above him.

"I'll admit, the final battle LOOKED pretty cool," Grape conceded, "but it was nothing like how it happened in the book."

"I think you're just mad that Res didn't name a character after you," Peanut said, grinning slyly.

Suddenly, the area around them lit up, and Peanut was knocked off of his feet with a yelp of pain.

"Peanut!" Grape yelled, running to where her friend lay face down on the ground. He wasn't moving, and there was a black spot on his back where the fur had been burned. "Peanut, are you okay?"

The pup did not respond, but Grape took a small amount of comfort in seeing that his chest was still rising and falling steadily. He had been knocked unconscious, but it seemed he was still all right. Tears of worry running down her face, Grape gingerly took Peanut's prone form in her arms and picked him up. Being a puppy, he was lighter than a full grown dog, but Grape still had a hard time moving him. A soft moan escaped his lips as she accidentally jostled him.

"Don't worry, Peanut!" Grape said to him. "You're going to be okay."

As the cat tried to reassure her unconscious friend, Pete grinned smugly at Dragon.

"You are a horrible creature, Pete!" Dragon hissed. "How could you do that to him?"

"I don't know about you," Pete shot back, "but I don't want to be locked in a mortal body for a lifetime. I've made my move, whether you approve of it or not." He spread his arms defiantly, "What are you going to do about it?"

Dragon's eyes narrowed dangerously, "You forget that I have connections in Babylon Garden. I'll go to Tarot and see what she can do to help that poor dog."

Pete's grin only widened, "Are you sure you want to put Peanut anywhere near his girlfriend right now? After all…" he turned and looked up at the moon, "the full moon is tomorrow night."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"Mom! Dad!" Grape yelled as she clumsily opened the door to her house, carrying Peanut inside. "Wake up!"

Hearing the desperate tone of her voice, both the Sandwich parents got out of bed and came running downstairs.

"Grape, what's wrong?" Mr. Sandwich asked.

"It's Peanut!" the cat explained, tears running down her cheeks, matting her fur to her face. "I think he got struck by lightning!"

"He couldn't have," Mrs. Sandwich exclaimed. "It's cloudy outside, but not stormy."

Mr. Sandwich knelt down and took Peanut from Grape's arms, setting him gently on the floor. His hands brushed lightly over the burned fur on the dog's back, eliciting a soft moan to escape from Peanut's mouth.

"He was hit by something, all right," Mr. Sandwich confirmed, "and whatever it was, it was hot enough to burn his fur to a crisp." He looked up at Grape, his expression grave, "Grape, tell me exactly what happened."

"I- I don't really know," Grape admitted. "We were just walking home from the movie, and suddenly everything got really bright. I heard Peanut yell, and the next thing I know he's on the ground, knocked out!" She sniffed and looked at the pup, causing a fresh wave of tears to come from her eyes, "Dad, he's going to be okay, isn't he?"

Mr. Sandwich sighed, "His fur got burned, but it doesn't look like he was actually hurt very badly. Still, we'll need to take him to the vet first thing in the morning to make sure."

"Isn't there anything we can do now?" Grape begged.

"All we can do is put some ice on the burn and put him somewhere where he'll be comfortable," Mrs. Sandwich answered, heading towards the kitchen.

"Don't worry, Grape," Mr. Sandwich consoled his feline daughter, putting his hand on her shoulder, "I think everything's going to be fine."

Grape closed her eyes as pain assaulted her heart, "But you don't know for sure."

Mrs. Sandwich came back with a bag full of ice, and Mr. Sandwich laid Peanut down on the couch so that his burn was facing upwards. Grape took the bag of ice and gently pressed it against the burn. Peanut moaned in pain again, but still did not stir.

"I'm sorry, Peanut," Grape whimpered.

"Try to get some sleep, Grape," Mr. Sandwich said. "We'll take him to the vet in the morning, but there's nothing else we can do right now. Try not to worry too much about it."

As her parents headed back upstairs to their bedroom, Grape couldn't help but wonder how she was supposed to do anything BUT worry. Peanut, her best friend in the world, had been struck by lightning, and might be seriously hurt.

_Grape, open the window!_

Grape's ears perked up, but she quickly realized that the voice hadn't come from next to her, it had come from her head.

"Tarot?" she asked out loud.

_I'm outside,_ the voice said again. _Let me in!_

Going to the nearest window, Grape unlatched it and slid it open.

"Down here!" Tarot's voice whispered.

Grape looked down and saw the little Pomeranian standing below the window, too little to reach it. Reaching down, Grape grabbed her and lifted her inside.

"Where is he?" Tarot asked.

"He's on the couch," Grape answered. "How do you already know about this?"

"The Dragon told me," Tarot explained, hurrying over to her where her boyfriend lay. "She said Peanut had been hurt."

"He got struck by lightning!" Grape confirmed, the horrible memory rising up in her mind once again.

"No, no he wasn't," Tarot said softly, inspecting the wound.

"What do you mean?" Grape took a closer look at the wound, but couldn't see anything out of the ordinary.

"It was only meant to LOOK like it was lightning," Tarot explained. "But in actuality, he was hit by a beam of moonlight."

"Moonlight?" Grape echoed, arching her eyebrow in disbelief. "What the carp do you mean by that?"

Folding her arms nervously, Tarot took a step away turned to face the wall.

"It was Pete," she said hesitantly. "He wants to turn the tide of his and Dragon's game, and so he caught a beam of moonlight and threw it at Peanut."

"HE DID WHAT?" Grape screeched, then clamped her paws over her mouth. The two of them were silent for a moment to make sure they hadn't woken her parents before continuing.

"I thought that they couldn't do anything to hurt us!" Grape exclaimed.

"Technically, they can't," Tarot explained. "But what Pete did was completely against the rules."

"So, does that mean he's disqualified or something?"

"Unfortunately, no," Tarot went on. "Pete may have cheated, but he did it by exploiting a loophole. You see, he didn't actually harm Peanut."

"Are you crazy?" Grape demanded. "Look at him!"

"I know, but the wound won't last for very long. It should be gone by morning. Because of that, Pete can't really be penalized for what he's done."

"But… then why do it at all?" Grape asked, shaking her head in exasperation. Her life had been so much simpler before these stupid demigods had decided to play their little game with them.

"Because of what the moonbeam would do," said Tarot. "You see, there's an old legend about what happens if a dog is struck by moonlight."

Grape's eyes narrowed, "And I suppose this means that it's more than just a legend?"

Tarot nodded, "To put it simply, the legend says that if moonlight is put within a dog's bloodstream, he will be cursed."

"What kind of curse?" Grape asked. Her fur was already beginning to stand on end.

"A curse that is activated by the full moon," Tarot went on. "When the full moon shines on him, the moonlight in his body will turn him into a…"

"Hey, what's going on here?"

Both Grape and Tarot turned to see that Peanut was no longer asleep. Instead, he was sitting up with a smile on his face, looking as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

"Peanut, you're okay!" Grape exclaimed, and dashed forward to wrap him in a big hug. With a gasp, though, she recoiled. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to!"

"Didn't mean to what?" Peanut asked, cocking his head to the side.

"You… your burn," Grape answered. "I didn't mean to touch it like that."

"What burn?" Peanut asked, standing up and looking all over himself.

Grape and Tarot exchanged nervous glances.

"Peanut, turn around," Tarot ordered softly.

Peanut turned the other way, and Grape gasped in amazement. Where the burn had been only minutes before was now… nothing. There was no burn, and his fur had even grown back like it had been before.

"Peanut, how do you feel?" she asked hesitantly.

"I feel great!" Peanut answered, his tail wagging. "Tarot, we went to go see Pridelands 3! I thought it was awesome, but Grape thinks it was horrible, but you should have come with us because you would have liked it, because I know you like movies like that, and we could have snuggled in the dark theater, but then you would have probably spoiled the movie before it even started, and then Grape would have been mad, and…"

"Peanut," Tarot interrupted, "that's great! Grape thought you might have gotten sick on the way home, so I just came by to check on you." She smiled, "If you're feeling all right, then I'll go home now. It's really late!"

"Oh, okay!" Peanut agreed. "I don't feel tired at all. In fact, I feel less tired than when we left the theater, Grape!"

"Yeah, a good nap will do that for you," Grape answered, following Tarot to the door.

Before she left, Tarot turned back to Grape one last time, "Keep an eye on him," she whispered. "And let me know if anything seems wrong."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

"I just can't figure it out," Mr. Sandwich exclaimed. "Last night, there was a great big burn on his back!"

"Well, I don't see anything of the sort," the vet replied. He ran his hand down Peanut's back, and the pup didn't complain in the slightest. "He's as healthy as a horse."

"But I'm a dog!" Peanut protested.

"Grape said he got struck by lightning," Mr. Sandwich went on. "She was in tears over the whole thing."

The vet turned to look at Grape, who instinctively shrank into the corner just in case he decided to pull a needle out.

"What do you have to say about all this, Princess?" the doctor asked.

"My name is Grape!" the cat spat.

The doctor chuckled, "Well, you'll always be Princess Periwinkle to me!"

Grape glared at the wicked, evil, doctor man with all the hatred she could muster, "All I know is that everything got really bright all of a sudden, and the next thing I know he's face down in the dirt!" She had avoided mentioning anything about Tarot's visit the night before.

"I feel fine!" Peanut piped up. "We went to see Pridelands 3 last night! Have you ever read the Pridelands books, Mr. Doctorvet?"

"Can't say that I have," the vet answered before turning to their dad again. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it looks like your pets have played a trick on you, Mr. Sandwich."

"No way," Mr. Sandwich argued. "I saw the burn with my own two eyes. It was there!"

"Then I don't know what to tell you, because Peanut is…"

"I'm not a horse!" Peanut interjected crossly.

"I won't charge you for the visit," the vet finished. "But next time, I'd suggest taking a closer look at them when they tell you they've been struck by lightning."

Mr. Sandwich bit his lip and sighed, shaking his head in resignation, "All right, then. Come on, Peanut." He placed his dog back on the floor. Clipping their leashes to their collars, he led them out of the room. "Thank you, Doc. I'm sorry for the trouble."

"No trouble at all," the doctor smiled. "I know how pets can get sometimes."

"Don't I get a lollipop?" Peanut asked as they walked out.

"Guys, I am very disappointed in you both," Mr. Sandwich said as they left the office. "I can't believe you would do something like this!"

"I don't even remember what any of you are talking about," Peanut said, pulling on his leash to sniff a fire hydrant.

"Don't give me that, young pup!" Mr. Sandwich scolded him. "I don't know how you two managed to make that burn look so real last night, but it was a very mean thing to do. Your mother and I were worried sick!"

"Sorry, Dad," Grape muttered, looking down and shuffling her feet guiltily. Better to just let him think the whole thing was a trick than have to explain everything.

"I should hope so, Grape!" Mr. Sandwich said, turning to her. "No more midnight movies for either of you. Ever!"

"Aaw!" Peanut whined. "No fair, Dad!"

"You should have thought of that before you played that trick on us last night," Mr. Sandwich concluded. "Now come on, we're going home."

The walk from the vet office to the Sandwich's house was only about a mile, and Mr. Sandwich had insisted they walk the distance from now on, claiming it would be good exercise. As they walked, Grape reflected on their situation. If all that came of this dilemma was that they couldn't go to the movies at midnight anymore, then she counted herself lucky.

"Wait a minute," Mr. Sandwich said suddenly. He'd stopped outside the grocery store. "I need to get some milk. Can I trust you two to get home on your own?"

"Yeah!" Peanut agreed.

"Go straight home," their dad ordered sternly. "No stopping to talk to your friends."

The two of them continued walking as Mr. Sandwich went inside the store.

"So, what's all this about me being struck by lightning?" Peanut asked.

Grape bit her lip and looked away, her mind racing as she tried to figure out how much she should tell him.

"It was nothing," she said, speaking fast. "You fell asleep on the way home. You must have been more tired than you thought after the movie ended. I thought it'd be funny if I drew a burn mark on your back." She grinned sheepishly, "I guess Mom and Dad didn't think it was funny, huh?"

Peanut glared at her crossly, "That was mean of you, Grape!" he exclaimed. "Mom and Dad said they were really scared!"

"Sorry!" Grape said.

"I hope you're happy," Peanut grumped, looking at the ground in front of him. "Now neither of us get to go to the movies anymore!"

"I'll tell them it wasn't your fault," Grape promised. "They'll probably let you off the hook."

Peanut didn't reply. Grape fell into a guilty silence, but refused to take her eyes off of him.

"What are you staring at me like that for?" Peanut demanded angrily a few minutes later.

"Nothing!" Grape replied, promptly averting her eyes. This wasn't right. Even when she'd gotten him in trouble in the past, he had been quick to forgive her. This prolonged, brooding anger just wasn't like him.

They finally made their way into their neighborhood. The pets were milling around their yards like normal.

"Hey, Grape!" Grape turned to see her boyfriend, Max, running up to meet her.

"Sorry, Max!" she said. "I can't talk now. We're being punished."

"What for?" Max asked, not deterred in the least.

"For her being stupid little pussycat!" Peanut spat.

Max looked at Peanut in confusion before turning indignant, "You'd better watch your mouth when you're talking about my girlfriend, dog!"

"Max, no," Grape pleaded. "Not now!"

"What are you going to do about it?" Peanut demanded, moving to stand directly in front of Max. Even though Max was older, Peanut was still a few inches taller.

"Maybe I'll teach you a lesson, you stupid pooch!" Max flexed his claws.

Before the cat could make a move, though, Peanut had his paws wrapped around his neck! He tackled Max to the ground, squeezing his throat with all his might. Max gurgled with surprise, and fought to break the dog's grip, to no avail.

"Peanut!" Grape screamed. "Peanut, no! Stop!"

"That's enough!" Officer Fido yelled. Before Grape knew what was happening, the large dog was had joined the fray. With his strength, training, and larger size, he was able to pull Peanut off of Max.

"You are crazy!" Max screamed in horror, scrambling to his feet. "You've got rabies!" Without a backwards glance, he turned and ran all the way home.

"Peanut, what in the world was that?" Fido demanded, holding the pup off the ground by the scruff of his neck.

"What was what?" Peanut asked, uncomprehendingly.

Grape blinked. All traces of anger had disappeared from Peanut's face, and he stared at the canine officer in confusion.

"You just attacked Max!" Fido exclaimed.

"No I didn't!" Peanut protested. He turned to Grape, "Tell him I didn't attack Max!"

"He's… he's sick, Fido," Grape stammered, still in shock over what she had just witnessed. "We just came from the vet, and he says that Peanut needs to go home and rest."

"He did not!" Peanut protested. "He said I was a horse!"

"He doesn't know what he's saying," Grape lied through her teeth, hoping against hope that Fido would buy it. "My dad's out getting him some medicine. He'll be back later!"

Fido eyed Peanut suspiciously one last time before turning and walking towards the Sandwich house, "All right, but I'm not letting him go until he's inside your front door."

"He's a werewolf!" a squeaky voice shouted from Fido's head. Grape froze in horror.

"Not now, Spo!" Fido growled. "Just keep your mouth shut."

Fido opened the door to the Sandwich house and set Peanut inside.

"Don't come out until you're better," he warned him. "If you do that again, I'll have to bring you in for it." With that, he slammed the door. Turning to Grape, he said, "Be careful around him. You might want to sleep outside until he's better."

"Yeah, no kidding," Grape agreed. She waited until Fido had left their yard before turning and running off in search of Tarot.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

"He's in the house," Grape explained to the Pomeranian as they hid behind the next door neighbor's bushes.

"How badly did he hurt Max?" Tarot asked. Grape had explained everything on their way over.

"I don't think he did any permanent damage, but he definitely scared him."

"This is worse than I thought," Tarot mused. "I had hoped that Peanut's innocent and naïve nature would be enough to keep the werewolf at bay."

"So it's true?" Grape asked. "He really is turning into a werewolf?"

Tarot nodded solemnly. Grape found that she wasn't as surprised as she would have expected to be… that, in itself, was a depressing thought.

"What do we do?" she asked.

"The only way to cure a werewolf is to feed it wolfsbane," Tarot answered.

"Well, that shouldn't be too hard. Peanut will eat anything if you put it in his food bowl."

"I'm afraid it won't be that easy. You see, now that Peanut's a werewolf, he'll have a natural aversion to wolfsbane. If we want him to eat it, we'll have to force it down his throat."

Grape frowned, and crossed her arms in shame. Noticing this, Tarot placed her paw consolingly on her shoulder, "You mustn't blame yourself for this, Grape. It's not your fault."

"It IS my fault," the cat argued. "I'm his big sister. It's my job to look out for him."

"There was nothing you could have done," Tarot insisted. "What chance do you think you would have had against Pete?"

"I'm a horrible sibling," Grape moaned, putting her face in her paws.

Tarot's face grew angry, and she planted her fists on her hips.

"Grape Jelly Sandwich!" she barked. "Listen to yourself! Your best friend and brother is in trouble, and you'd rather sit here and mope than do anything to help him! Get over yourself and do what needs to be done! Peanut needs our help, and I can't save him without you! Now get up and get inside that house!"

Grape stared at the Pomeranian, her eyes wide with surprise. She'd never heard Tarot speak like that before! Startled completely out of her misery, she nodded.

"What do you need me to do?" she asked.

"Just keep him inside. The moon is coming up soon, and we can't let him leave the house."

"What about mom and dad?" Grape asked.

"I'm going to call your house and draw them away for the evening."

"And what are you going to do?"

"Sabrina and I are going to go find some wolfsbane. She knows how to find it better than I do. We'll be back soon. Just…" she hesitated. "Don't let anything happen."

"I won't," Grape promised. "Peanut will be safe with me."

"No, I meant don't let anything happen to YOU."

Before Grape could process what she had said, Tarot turned and ran back towards her house. Grape looked at her own house and gulped nervously. This was going to be an interesting night, that was for sure. Bracing herself for the worst, she marched up to the front door. Before she could open it, it swung open and her parents came out.

"We're going out for the night, Grape," Mrs. Sandwich said, not breaking her stride. "You can get some dinner out of the fridge. Take care of Peanut while we're gone!"

"I'll try," the cat said, meekly as her parents got into the car and drove away.

She took a hesitant step into the house, "Peanut?" she called. There was no answer.

As she made her way through the house, she felt a chill cascade down her spine. Her every footstep seemed to echo loudly down the hallway. She reached Peanut's room and tentatively peeked through the crack in his doorway.

Peanut was standing in the center of his room, looking out the window. Grape could see that the sun was beginning to sink below the horizon. She bit her lip in fear, trying to figure out what to do next.

"Hello, Grape," Peanut said without turning around, his voice ominously low and completely unemotional.

Grape fought the urge to turn and bolt, "H-hey, Peanut!" she returned the greeting, trying to sound cheerful. "Mom and Dad are gone for the night. Y-you wanna get some dinner?"

Peanut did not respond. He didn't even move.

Feeling as if her whole body was about to collapse from fear, Grape stepped into his room and placed her paw on his shoulder, "Come on, Peanut!" she encouraged him. "I'll tell you what, we can break out those steaks Dad told us not to touch! Would that make you happy?"

It took Peanut ten seconds to respond, "Steak? Meat. Yes. That sounds good."

"All right, now you're talking!" Grape exclaimed, hiding her fear behind a false smile. "Let's go to the kitchen!"

Slowly, almost robotically, Peanut turned and followed the cat out of his room and down the hallway. Grape looked into his eyes. They weren't Peanut's eyes, she realized. These were cold, stony eyes. The eyes of a wolf. She shuddered, but didn't say anything.

When they made it to the kitchen, Grape opened up the refrigerator and pulled the package of steaks out, "What should we do with them?" she asked. "Grill them? Maybe we could…"

Before she could finish, Peanut's paw flew out and pushed her aside. She collided with the cabinet and sank to the floor with a groan of pain. Nothing was broken, she hadn't hit anything hard enough for that, but it still hurt. She gingerly got back to her feet and watched as Peanut tore open the packaging and began mauling the thick slabs of beef. He tore into them with wild abandon, stuffing entire steaks into his mouth at a time. Blood drizzled down from the corner of his mouth.

"You… you like them?" Grape asked, hoping she had placated him.

Peanut turned and glared at her with animalistic hatred. A low, guttural snarl rose from his throat, and the fur on his back stood straight. Grape froze with terror. This was not Peanut she was looking at. It was… something else. When the cat made no move to steal its food, the thing that looked like Peanut returned to its meal, devouring every steak within a couple of minutes. Throwing the empty package to the floor, he leaned his head back and howled. Grape clamped her hands over her ears to block out the sound.

And then it happened. A beam of moonlight came through the kitchen window and struck Peanut square in the chest. Even though it was just a ray of light, Peanut doubled over in pain, as if the moon itself had punched him. A pitiful whine came from him, and he fell to all fours. He looked up, and for one single moment, Grape could see the real Peanut in his eyes, scared and begging her for help. Then he shook his head, as if trying to rid it of unwanted thoughts, and Peanut was gone.

Peanut's body convulsed on the kitchen floor. If anyone had looked through the window, it would have looked as if the poor dog were having a seizure. Then, before Grape's eyes, it throbbed. All of it, at the same moment, grew larger for moment before shrinking back to its normal size. It happened again, as if Peanut's muscles were growing on their own accord. With a sickening jolt, Grape realized that was EXACTLY what was happening. Peanut's body continued to pulse, growing slightly larger each time. His heart was beating loud enough for Grape to plainly hear it. A feral growl came out of Peanut's throat, and he extended his arm just in time for Grape to see it become rippled with rock-hard biceps, and his fingers become tipped with razor sharp claws.

"Peanut," she found herself whimpering, "please stop!"

Peanut's fur grew shaggier, though it remained the same color, until it was a thick as a wolf's pelt. His spine stretched with a sickening crack, giving him more than two additional feet in height. His mouth stretched open as his every one of his teeth extended into horrific looking fangs. With one final pulse, his body grew to its true size, and the transformation stopped.

For a moment, all was still. The werewolf simply lay there on the floor, unmoving. Grape stood with her back pressed against the kitchen wall, putting as much distance between herself and this… this THING as she could. Then, just as Grape had begun to think it would stay there all night, there werewolf picked itself up from the floor. It towered high above her, its head almost touching the ceiling. It sniffed the air for a moment, completely unaware of her presence. Then it turned to look at her.

"P-P-Peanut?" Grape dared to ask, her voice barely a whisper.

Without a warning, the werewolf bared its teeth and lunged at her! Only Grape's catlike reflexes saved her from being mauled on the spot. She leaped into the air just as the wolf came at her and landed on its back. The wolf stood up straight in surprise, and Grape slid down its back and landed neatly on the floor before taking off and running down the hallway.

Keep him inside, and don't get killed. Those had been Tarot's instructions. But how in the world was she going to stay alive if she was stuck inside the house with it? Grape dashed up the stairs as quickly as she could, intending to lock herself into her parents' room. Halfway up, though, she noticed something.

The werewolf wasn't chasing her.

_CRASH!_

Grape's heart sank into her stomach as she realized what she had just heard. The werewolf hadn't come after her. It had broken down the front door. Her whole body went cold as she raced back down the stairs and down the hallway, skidding to a stop in front of what was left of the front door. The entire thing had been reduced to splinters, and the last she saw of Peanut was a dark, hulking shadow running into the distance. Within moments, it was gone.

Her breathing ragged, Grape fell to her knees. She shivered uncontrollably. He was gone. Peanut was gone. She'd promised to take care of him, and she'd failed! What was she going to do? What was going to happen to Peanut?

As these thoughts raced through her head, Grape couldn't keep herself under control anymore. With an anguished sob, she put her face in her hands and began to cry.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Grape had no idea how long she stayed like that, crying on her front porch. She barely noticed as the sky opened up and began to pour rain on her, soaking her fur and leaving it sticking to her skin. Lightning flashed and thunder boomed, but it didn't matter.

_She'd failed._

All she'd been asked to do was keep Peanut from escaping, and she'd let him walk right out the front door. Who knew where he was now? What would happen? Would he hurt somebody? Would he hurt himself? The thought of her best friend, her _brother_, lying dead in a ditch somewhere caused a fresh wave of tears to erupt from her eyes.

"Grape!" someone shouted, but the cat couldn't work up the will to see who it was. "Grape, what happened?"

She felt a pair of paws grab her head and force her to look up. It was Tarot. Sabrina stood behind her, holding some type of plant.

"T-Tarot," Grape whimpered, "I'm so sorry!"

"What happened?" the Pomeranian asked again.

"I tried to do what you said," Grape explained weakly. "But I couldn't. Peanut changed, and now he's… he's…"

Taror closed her eyes and looked down, "Are you hurt?" she asked. Grape shook her head, "Good. Now come on, we have to go find him."

Grape sat up, but couldn't meet Tarot's gaze, "You should go without me," she said.

"No!" Tarot retorted. "We'll need your help if we're going to find him and feed him the wolfsbane."

"But I can't do anything right!" Grape howled. "I've mess up everything!"

Tarot's paw lashed out and slapped Grape across the face, "Grape, stop it!" she shouted back.

Grape stared at the little dog, stunned, her cheek tingling.

"How _dare_ you behave like this?" Tarot went on. "Peanut is in trouble, and we're the only ones who can help him!"

"But…"

"No buts!" Tarot interjected. "Get this through your thick cat skull: this is NOT your fault! None of it is, so stop blaming yourself!"

Grape looked away and hugged her knees, "But I couldn't even keep him inside when you told me to."

"That…" Tarot paused, and lowered her head, "that was my fault. I was so desperate to go search for the wolfbane that it never occurred to me that you wouldn't be able to control him when he changed. I'm sorry, Grape."

Grape turned to look at the psychic dog, "But what can we do?" she asked. "He's way too strong for us!"

Tarot looked Grape in the eye, and then raised her paw, "Even now that he's a wolf, Peanut and I still have our mental connection. Listen to this." With that, she placed her paw on Grape's forehead. At first, nothing happened, but then…

_Help…_

Grape gasped. That was Peanut's voice!

_Help me… I don't want to hurt anyone…_

"Peanut!" she shouted, even though he was nowhere he could hear her.

_Grape… Tarot… Grape… Help me…_

Tarot lowered her paw, cutting off Peanut's voice, "Now will you help us?"

Peanut's terrified voice still echoed in Grape's head. Without a word, she rose to her feet and nodded.

"Good. Sabrina and I will keep him under control," Tarot instructed her. "But we need you to talk to him. Even if the werewolf has control, there's still a small part of Peanut in there. We need you to talk to him, and maybe you'll be able to calm him down a little."

"I already tried to talk to him right after he changed," Grape pointed out. "He didn't even recognize me."

"It's the only thing we can do," Tarot said. "Now come on, we need to find him!" With that, Tarot turned and ran down the street, Sabrina right behind her.

"But we have no idea where he is!" Grape shouted, running after her.

"I think he went to Max's house," Tarot answered. "If Peanut got mad enough to attack him earlier today, then the wolf will still feel his anger."

Grape blanched under her fur, "You mean that thing is going after my boyfriend?!"

Not waiting for Tarot to answer, Grape put on an extra burst of speed, leaving the other two behind.

"Grape!" Tarot shouted. "Don't go alone! It's too dangerous!"

But Grape didn't listen, she had to save Max! She rounded to corner in the roar and gasped. Tarot had been right. The front door to Max's house had been smashed, just like her own.

"Max!" she screamed, running up his driveway. "Peanut!"

A terrified scream rang out, and Bino came careening out of the front door.

"THERE'S A MONSTER IN MY HOUSE!" He yelled, running past Grape without a second glance.

Grape needed no further goading. She raced the rest of the way up Max's yard and through the door. Claw marks gouged the walls, and several more doors in the hallway had been beaten down.

"Max!" she called, not breaking her stride. She ran down the length of the house before she found them. Peanut had managed to corner Max in the kitchen, and was now holding the trembling cat in one of his monstrous paws.

"Grape, you need to get out of here!" he yelled as he saw her come in. "Don't worry about me, just go!"

The werewolf bared its teeth and brought Max in closer.

"Peanut!" Grape shouted at the top of her voice.

The werewolf paused and turned to look at her.

"Peanut, put him down!" the cat ordered, speaking slowly.

"Peanut?!" Max exclaimed in disbelief.

The wolf growled threateningly, but didn't release Max.

"Put. Him. Down," Grape repeated, pointing to the floor.

With an angry snarl, Peanut threw Max across the room, where he collided with the wall and slumped to the floor, unconscious. The wolf began to advance on Grape now, holding its claws out threateningly.

"Peanut," Grape spoke to the monster, as she backed down the hallway again, "I know you're in there. You don't want to do this!"

For a moment, the wolf's eyes changed. They were no longer the savage beast, but her friend's.

"Peanut?" Grape asked tentatively. "Is that you?"

"Grrrrrrr..." the wolf growled. "Grrrrraaaaaa… Grrrraaaaaaaaape?"

A relieved smile spread across the cat's face, "Peanut! It's okay! Everything's going to be all right!"

The wolf shook its head, "Noooo," it replied, "Grrrraaaaaape… Run!"

With that, the wolf shook its head, and the feral animal was back. With a howl of rage, it crouched down and threw itself at Grape! Grape had no time to react, and could only brace herself for the impact. The claws. The teeth…

They never came.

Grape opened her eyes and saw the werewolf struggling against some sort of invisible force, unable to reach her!

"Grape, get back!" Tarot shouted. She was standing behind the cat, holding both paws out towards the wolf. She was successfully restraining it, but her face revealed how much she was struggling to do so. Grape willingly stepped behind her. "Sabrina, the wolfsbane!"

The black cat shot forward, the strange plant in her paw. She leaped nimbly into the air, landing on Peanut's massive chest and clinging to his fur. The wolf howled and thrashed around, trying to throw her off, but the stubborn cat refused to let go.

"Get it in his mouth," Tarot shouted, still fighting to keep Peanut where he was. "Hurry!"

With grace that only a cat can have, Sabrina climbed further up Peanut's body until she was within arm's reach of his mouth. Taking the wolfsbane, she reached up, attempting to force it into the werewolf's mouth. But with one hand doing that, her grip was loosened, and that was all Peanut needed. He grabbed the black cat with one hand, wrenched her free from his body, and threw her across the house.

"Look out!" Grape warned, but could only watch as Sabrina collided with Tarot, sending them both skidding across the floor.

This wasn't good. With those two out of commission, who was going to stop Peanut? The wolf snarled and turned to face her. Cold sweat ran down Grape's body. She should run. There was nothing more she could do here. If she stayed, she'd only succeed in getting herself killed.

The wolfsbane plant fluttered to the floor, only a few inches away from where she stood. She looked at it, and then back at Peanut. Her heart began to beat faster, but she was suddenly filled with a sense of grim determination. Peanut had been her best friend ever since she'd been adopted by the Sandwiches. Not just her best friend, her _brother_. With unwavering loyalty, he had always been there for her when she needed him. There was no doubt in her mind that, should the need arise, he would give up his own life for her sake.

And now, she thought, it was time for her to do the same.

Reaching down, Grape picked up the wolfsbane and charged at Peanut! The wolf howled and raced to meet her. At the last moment, she leaped into the air, flying straight towards him. But this time the wolf was prepared, and he caught her in midair. There was nothing Grape could do but tighten her grip on the wolfsbane as Peanut swung her around like a ragdoll. Finally, just when she thought she was going to lose consciousness, he stopped. With a glare filled with absolute hatred, he opened his mouth and leaned down to bite her throat. Just as Grape had hoped…

Not giving the wolf a chance to react, she threw her arm forward, sending it straight into the werewolf's mouth. The wolf instinctively shut its mouth, and its teeth sank into Grape's arm. She cried out in pain. More pain than she'd ever felt before. More pain than she'd ever known existed. But with one final effort, she forced her hand open, and the wolfsbane fell from it, down Peanut's throat.

The result was instantaneous. The wolf's eyes widened with shock, and it began to choke. Its mouth opened, and Grape's arm fell free. Peanut's hand let go of her body, and she fell to the floor. The wolf stumbled around the room, grasping its throat and making gagging noises. Then, before her eyes, it began to shrink. Every part of his body began to slowly recede back its normal size. Peanut's bones crunched and his fur shortened back to its normal length. With one final howl, the wolf's voice turned back to the one Grape knew and loved, and Peanut collapsed to the floor.

Grape looked down at her arm. There were several puncture wounds where Peanut had bitten her, and they were all bleeding profusely. Her breathing was ragged. She was in trouble. If she didn't get help, she was going to die from blood loss.

It didn't matter, though… She'd managed to save Peanut… That's what was important…

With that, her vision began to grow dark. In front of her, she saw Peanut pick himself up off the floor. He stood up shakily, holding his head.

"What happened?" he asked. He turned to see her. "Grape? Grape!"

As the rest of Grape's vision faded, leaving her in the dark embrace of sleep, the last thing she saw was Peanut kneeling down to pick her up.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

The first thing Grape realized when her senses began to return to her was that she was comfortable. Her head rested on a big soft pillow, and she was laying on a smooth, silky bed. The sheets that covered her were soft as well, leaving her neither too hot nor too cold. She let out a sleepy sigh of contentedness. This was an awesome bed. Maybe she'd died and gone to Heaven…

Her eyes shot open as memories from the previous night returned to her. Had she died last night? The last thing she remembered was that she'd managed to break Peanut's curse, and then she'd blacked out from her wounds. It was possible that she'd died. More than possible.

At that moment, though, the sickening scent of medicine reached Grape's nose, bringing her back to the present. She shook her head, trying to clear it of the vile smell. This place smelled like the vet office. She wasn't in Heaven, she was in Hell!

A gentle murmur below her caught Grape's attention, and she looked to see Peanut sitting next to her bed. His head was resting on the edge of the mattress, and he was fast asleep. Grape blinked. She WAS in the vet office! Sitting up, she felt some strain on her arm. It was covered in bandages, she saw, and an IV was hooked to her vein. Her arm throbbed dully where Peanut had bitten her last night.

The door to her room opened, and the vet walked in.

"Ah, good," he said. "You're awake."

"What happened?" Grape asked her voice was still groggy. The IV must be feeding pain killer into her system, she realized.

"Peanut brought you in here in the middle of the night," the doctor answered. "You were in pretty bad shape, but he managed to get you here just in time."

"Did he say what happened?" Grape asked, a chill running down her spine.

"He didn't, actually," the vet looked at her, "Would you mind telling me?"

"I… I don't really remember," Grape said softly, looking away.

"That's normal, I'm afraid," the doctor replied. "After what you went through last night, a little memory loss is to be expected."

"How bad was it?" Grape asked, looking down at her wounded arm.

The vet sighed, "I'll be honest with you, Grape. If Peanut hadn't gotten you here like he did, you most likely would have died. A lot of veins were torn where your arm got bit, and you lost a lot of blood." He looked down at Peanut, "You should thank him when he wakes up. The first thing he did when we got you in here was offer to give blood. He's the reason you're still alive."

For the first time, Grape noticed that Peanut, too, was wearing bandages around his arm. Her heart throbbed, and she felt tears sting her eyes. Reaching out, she rested hew paw on his shoulder, "Thank you, Peanut," she whispered.

"He was up all night," the vet explained. "The poor pup refused to leave your side until you woke up. He's probably exhausted."

_More than you know,_ Grape thought.

"Your parents came in to see you too," the vet went on. "They had to leave for work, though, when I told them you were going to be okay."

Grape was hardly listening, though. She was still staring at the puppy asleep at the foot of her bed.

"I'll leave you two alone for now," the vet said, jotting something on his clipboard and leaving.

Peanut yawned, and sat up. He stretched and popped his neck before rubbing the sleepiness out of his eyes.

"Hey, Peanut," Grape said. Peanut's eyes opened wide, and he turned to look at her.

"Grape!" he shouted, half in shock, half in joy. He leaped from his seat and wrapped his arms around her. "Grape, I thought you were going to die!" When he pulled back, there were tears coming out of his eyes.

"The doctor said I'm going to be fine," she replied. "How are you feeling?"

Peanut backed away, averting his gaze awkwardly, "It doesn't matter," he said glumly.

Grape creased her eyebrows, "What's that supposed to mean?" she asked.

"It was my fault you got hurt," Peanut answered. "I was the one who did it!"

Grape bit her lip in agitation. How was she going to explain this one?

"I… I'm sorry, Grape," Peanut said, now close to the point of bawling. "I really messed up this time. Worse than I've ever messed up before. And the worst part is that you were the one who paid for it. I just wanted to make sure you were okay before…"

"Before what?" Grape asked, a pit forming in her stomach.

"Before I left," Peanut finished. He finally looked up at her, "I'm the one who hurt you, and I'm not going to let that happen again. I- I'll miss you, Grape." He began to back towards the door.

"Peanut, wait!" Grape shouted. The pup paused. "Don't go!"

"But I…"

"It wasn't your fault!" Grape asserted. "It's Pete's fault!"

"Pete?" Peanut asked. "You mean that gryphon?"

"He threw a beam of moonlight at you," Grape explained. "That's what caused all this."

"Moonlight?" Peanut echoed. "But why?"

"It was so that you would hurt us," A new voice said. Peanut spun around to find that Tarot had opened the door and come inside without him noticing. "If we got hurt, then Dragon would have to either call of the game or spend a lot of time and energy getting new pieces."

Peanut froze, "He wanted me to come after you, didn't he?"

Tarot nodded solemnly, "That was his plan. Without me, Dragon wouldn't have an avatar."

"You see?" Grape spoke up, bringing the conversation back around, "it wasn't your fault!"

This still did not seem to cheer Peanut up, "But what about the neighbors? They all saw me. You even told Max my name!"

"I've already taken care of that," Tarot promised. "I've altered Max's memories so he doesn't remember it was you. I've also spread a rumor around the neighborhood that a bear attacked Max's house. Nobody will ever know that it was you."

Peanut was still for a moment, and then he reached down and picked up Tarot in a big hug.

"Thank you, Tarot!" he exclaimed. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"So, does this mean you'll stay?" Grape asked as he put the Pomeranian back on the floor.

Peanut hesitated, "Are you sure it's all over?" he asked. "I won't change again?"

"The wolfsbane cured you," Tarot promised. "It also made you immune to the curse if Pete were to try this again."

Peanut slowly made his way to Grape's bed and looked at her arm, "I know this isn't my fault," he said slowly. "But I'm still the one who did this to you. How can I ever forgive myself for that?"

Grape reached out and began to scratch Peanut behind his ears, "How about if I say I've already forgiven you?"

Despite Peanut's determination to remain serious, he couldn't help but roll his eyes back in pleasure and stomp with right foot.

"I love you, Peanut," Grape said with all the sincerity she could put into her voice. "And I don't want you to leave. Not now, not ever."

Peanut looked at Grape, his eyes wide with adorable puppy love.

"All right," he said before leaning in and giving her another hug. "I'll stay!"

High above the vet office, Dragon and Pete were hovering, completely invisible to mortal eyes.

"I hope you've learned something from all this misery you've caused, Pete," Dragon said.

"Hmph," the gryphon huffed, turning his back to his friend/rival.

"Don't you understand, Pete?" Dragon persisted. "You may be a demigod, but you still have feelings. Look at them down there. Can't you see how much they all care for each other?"

"Hmph!" Pete said again, more forcefully this time.

Dragon flew forward and put her hand on his shoulder, "Everything turned out all right, so I won't report this to Heaven's court. But just promise me one thing, okay? Don't ever do something like that again. Our games don't have rules just to keep us from playing fair. They're there to protect the mortals. To protect them!" she pointed down at the three friends. "Just… please, don't do anything else to hurt them."

For a moment, Pete was silent. Finally, he turned to face Dragon, "I don't want to lose this game any more than you do. I make no promises for the future, but for what it's worth, I'll try to play fair from now on."

"That's all I wanted to hear," Dragon agreed. "Now come on, I hear God is having a cookout. Race you there!"

And with a violent gust of wind and a blinding flash of light, they were gone, and life went on in Babylon Gardens just as it had before.

The End.

Did you like this story?

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www. Bolanderbooks .com


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